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Asteria earned a $26,300 salary as an employee in 2025. How much should her employer have withheld from her paycheck for FICA taxes? Note: Round your answer to the nearest whole dollar amount.

Javier, age 10, is starting to compare his academic abilities with those of his peers. He feels competent in math but struggles with reading. According to Erikson’s theory, how might these experiences affect his psychosocial development?

Recall the two cases from your brain maturation assignment: Read the Cases (provided below) and chose one to write about for your essay question. Case Study #1: EmmaEmma is a 4-year-old in preschool. She enjoys pretend play and often talks to herself while solving puzzles. She struggles to sit still during group time and gets frustrated easily when tasks are difficult. When given a memory game, she can only remember a few items at a time. However, when her teacher helps guide her step-by-step, she is able to complete more complex tasks. Case Study #2: Mateo Mateo is a 5-year-old in kindergarten. He enjoys building with blocks and can complete simple puzzles on his own, but he becomes confused when tasks involve multiple steps. During story time, Mateo often gets distracted by noises in the classroom and has difficulty focusing on the teacher’s voice. When playing with other children, Mateo sometimes assumes they know what he is thinking and becomes frustrated when they do not follow his ideas. He also insists that a taller glass has “more juice,” even when he watched the same amount being poured from a shorter glass. Mateo’s teacher has noticed that when she works with him one-on-one—breaking tasks into smaller steps and guiding him—he is much more successful. Mateo also occasionally talks quietly to himself while trying to solve problems, especially when working on something challenging. Essay Question: Choose either Emma or Mateo. Explain why the child is more successful when an adult provides guidance. In your answer, use one concept from Vygotsky’s theory and one concept about brain or cognitive development.

An adolescent is actively exploring different careers, values, and beliefs but has not yet made firm commitments. According to Marcia, this adolescent is in:

Changing one quality (such as the height of water in a container) can be compensated for by changes in another quality (such as the width of the container).  The ability to understand this is called:

Which behavior shows improvement in executive functioning?

__________ sexual characteristics are visible physical changes not directly linked to reproduction, but signal sexual maturity.

Jessica, a 15-year-old, spends a lot of time with her friends and less time with her family. Her parents are concerned but notice that her grades have not dropped, and she is still participating in extracurricular activities. How should her parents understand this behavior?

Megan, age 14, is very concerned with how her peers perceive her. She frequently changes her clothing style and interests based on what her friends like. Which adolescent cognitive characteristic does this behavior illustrate?

Jake, a 7-year-old, is playing a game that requires him to remember a series of instructions. He struggles to keep track of all the steps. Which cognitive skill is Jake likely developing at this stage?